BELLOWS FALLS — Sustainable Valley Group and the Green Island project (SVG-GI) recently teamed up with 350.org for a work party to clean out space in the former Robertson Paper Mill, a measure that the organization's president, Dave Bonta, hopes will “get things moving” despite seeing the rejection of a feasibility study planning grant earlier this summer.
SVG-GI hopes to turn the building at 1 Island St. into a space for green businesses to locate in an attempt to revitalize the commercially and light-industrially zoned Island in downtown Bellows Falls.
The group began negotiations last winter with Ginger and Mike Cook, who run Green Mtn. Specialties, a specialty paper company, in the mill building, which is owned by Ginger's parents.
Bonta said that Green Technologies, LLC of Williston, a biodiesel company, will begin storing components of their business in one portion of the mill building.
Volunteers prepared for that use by clearing a space during the Aug. 6 work party.
Meanwhile, the upper foundry area was prepared for biodiesel production. Space was cleared in the dock area and Life Safety Corridor exit doors were installed in the back of the building.
Joe Ruggerio of Ruggerio Trash Removal donated a Dumpster for the waste.
350.org is described on the organization's website as “a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis.” Member Joe Solomon carpooled from Burlington with Page Atcheson and Nathaly Agosto-Filion, joining Paulina Essunger of Putney to participate in the work party, Solomon said.
Co-sponsored by 350.org as part of the “get to work” movement, the four young workers came to see how “a community comes together to solve climate issues, to see it in action, and to do our part,” according to Solomon.
'Going very slowly'
Mike and Ginger Cook were present Saturday, but were reserved in their response to the work party. They expressed frustration with the length of the project to make the mill building available to businesses.
“It seems to be going very slowly,” Mike Cook said, adding that the Village Trustees expressed support and asked what they could do to help.
According to Cook, there are “no zoning issues.”
SVG-GI had hoped that a planning grant to conduct an architectural feasibility study on the mill building would be approved.
The town of Rockingham had submitted the plan last spring to the Vermont Community Development Program, which distributes federal money from the Community Development Block Grant program.
The town's application was denied, according to Community Development Specialist Beth Boutin, because “we didn't have enough money to cover all the grant applications we received.”
Boutin said that the board meets about five times a year, and decides where about $1 million per session is to go for Vermont municipalities.
“We decided to go with projects that were farther along than the [Green Island] project,” Boutin explained, adding that they recommended that the town do more planning studies for the Island district, and then reapply.
According to SVG-GI secretary Gary Fox, Rockingham will submit a grant application for such a planning study of the Island.
“But [if they get the grant], it is likely to take at least two years to complete,” he said. “We've decided to go ahead and do what we can on our own.”
While several studies specific to the Waypoint and the proposed intermodal center were done in 2006 and 2007, and public comments were solicited for usage of the Island, a comprehensive master plan for development specifically including the Island has not been done since 1984.
Fox said SVG-GI has found another entity to do the architectural feasibility study “for free” in Brattleboro, bypassing the municipal grant process.
“We are looking into funding resources from Brattleboro Development Credit Corp. to cover those costs” which are “significant,” Fox explained.
“We had someone in to look at the building that has their own lumber mill,” he said. “He looked at the beams and trusses and said he could get the appropriate wood and make beams to match” in line with historic preservation guidelines.
Fox said that if the architectural and cost feasibility study, due this fall, determines that the project is viable - that the the costs of rehabilitation can be recouped with revenue from light industrial/commercial or other use based on possible configuration of the space and the average area lease prices for similar property - the next phase will make it happen.
He added that everything SVG-GI is doing is consistent with zoning and usage regulations for that part of the Island.
The work party created momentum, but Fox said that SVG-GI understands that waiting for the master plan from the town creates hardship on the owners to pay taxes and maintenance on empty buildings.
Once done, the group will have a good idea of what to focus on next, which is likely to be securing funding sources in support of recommendations from that study for the Robertson Mill building.
“It's not practical to wait two years for the town to complete a planning study for the Island,” Fox said. “We've got a business coming [into the building] next week. We're going ahead [with the plan].”